Upper-back extension over the chair

Upper back & chest · Seated · about 35 seconds · Updated 22 October 2026

The upper-back extension over the chair: with your hands supporting your head, you lean your upper back gently over the top of the backrest, then come back up. The backrest needs to end around your shoulder blades. Skip it if you have osteoporosis or a vertebral fracture.

The Moveful figure doing the upper-back extension over the chair — The upper-back extension over the chair as the Moveful figure demonstrates it. The pink glow shows the area it works.

How to do the upper-back extension over the chair

Sit back in a sturdy, non-reclining chair whose backrest ends around your shoulder blades.
Hands behind your head, elbows forward.
Lean back gently over the backrest, hold, return.

What it works

Upper back mobility

How long and how often

In a movement break it's 4 slow reps, holding each for 4 seconds, about 35 seconds in total, and it can come up in the “Neck & shoulders”, “Upper back & chest” and “Full-body reset” classes. It's meant to be repeated through the day in short breaks rather than done once; doing it regularly matters more than the exact timing.

Tips

Move from your upper back
Breathe out as you extend
Hands support your head; don't pull

Who should skip it

Osteoporosis or a vertebral fracture

Move gently, in a comfortable range. Stop if you feel sharp pain, numbness, tingling or dizziness.

Try it with the guided 3D figure →